What are 360º cameras used for?

We experience our world in 360 degrees, surrounded by sounds and sights. In the last years, an option for capturing videos and photos in that context has appeared. The use of a special camera known as the 360º cameras. These cameras allow you to shoot 360-degrees videos and photospheres thus, capturing your reality in an interactive and fully immersive way.

Besides capturing dazzling videos and photographs, what are 360 cameras used for and are they even worth spending your hard earned money on? Which professional jobs could employ the use of this technology now and in the future? How can you benefit from the use of these cameras? In this post, we are going to explore the uses of 360 cameras, the main fields that could benefit from its practical applications and other creative ways in which you can use this technology in your day-to-day life.

Let’s get started!

Architecture

Architects are one of the major beneficiaries of photography, and this trend does not seem to end anytime soon. With the invention of 360 cameras, the rise of VR and 360-degree videos, Architectural photography just got better and better.

One of the major importance of 360 cameras is its ultra wide-angle feature that is especially useful when it comes to taking ultra wide-angle shots or shooting traditional videos with 360 cameras. Architects can now set their field of view beyond what is achievable with traditional cameras or real wide angle lenses when they convert their 360 videos for traditional footage. The outcome is an ultra wide-angle look with a trippy effect. While taking 360-degrees videos and photospheres is cool, it’s what architects can do with this incredible pictures and footage that is the really interesting part.

In this era of Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Flickr, you can capture different perspectives of your work, building or property with this camera and post them on Facebook or YouTube for your viewers to see. And since the footage captured by a 360 camera allows a view of your work or building to be seen in every direction, your viewer can now have a detailed perspective of your work. This will make your viewers feel like teleporting into your location and experiencing your work as if they are actually there, and you never can tell the level at which this can help to transform your business and help you find new clients.

The 360 cameras are also ideal for capturing the environment maps of an architect’s location to create a 3D model of his project. And since a 3D model can reflect the real environment, the end results will be much more realistic. At Architect Gadgets, we have done an article reviewing the Best 360 cameras for Architects. Check it out to find out what the best 360º cameras for Architects are.

Journalism and crowd shots

Apart from the Architects, journalist and reporters are also beginning to explore the potential of 360 cameras for capturing the photos and footage of events around them. The photos and videos captured with these cameras pan smoothly for a highly professional look, and provide the viewers a 360-degree view that will help deepen their admiration of an event or place.

For instance, a video from the New York Times that depicts some people in Niger who escaped the Boko Haram militant group shows a crowd receiving provisions from aid groups. You start by seeing a man unloading sacks from a truck, and when you change the view by panning the video, you would see the crowd gathering to claim the supplies and the improvised carts they use to carry it.

This 360-degree format irresistibly evokes attention and interests and is gradually becoming the standard for raw video recordings of events and news. So, whether you want to capture a scene at a stadium during a concert or big game, a wedding, festival or incident happening in your locality, the 360º camera is always there to help. And while your viewers will get to see things from their own perspective as if they are actually there, it will translate to a lesser job for you as you won’t have to worry about moving the camera around. The camera will simply capture everything around you while you focus on the event or action in front of you.

Creating photo and video diary

Visiting an interesting place or city with a lot of amazing structures and goings-on like a light show or outdoor festival? A 360 camera will help to capture more lifelike pictures and videos of the world around you with more depth, emotion, and feeling, to create a diary of your vacation, party and other events that happened in your life. This will help bring back the memories of those big moments in your life, and you will recall them as if it was yesterday, even if you are watching after so many months or years.

Apart from that, people who get to see the photos or videos will get a fuller sense of what the location looks like when they can adjust their view to see the world around you, even if they have never been there before.

VR experiences

The power of today’s VR technology paired with that of the 360º cameras can do some really incredible things. Imagine getting home after a stressful day at work, picking up your VR headset and teleporting yourself to a park in the countryside, a café in Paris, a beach in Barbados or anywhere you like to experience or relax. Isn’t that amazing? Of course, it is!

With this technology, you would be able to see every angle of the hotel room you want to splurge on or the house you’re planning to rent – all from the comfort of your home. You would also be able to take your hospital-bound patient on adventures in the great outdoors to help improve his mood. The possibilities are simply endless!

Video conferencing

Another great benefit of 360 cameras is in the creation of 360º videos which can transform the world of video conferencing. The integration of 360 videos with video conferencing may not be readily apparent, but this idea makes a lot of sense. It will provide a great way for you to see where your friend or family is, and uniquely show where you are thus, giving you the benefit of live interaction.

Recently, Microsoft combined VR technology and 3D video to develop a lifelike VR teleconference system. Well, maybe soon, 360º cameras will replace their 3D brothers to create a more true-to life-teleconference system. This will probably be the new best thing to bring your family, friends or teams together in a room with you even when they are thousands of miles away. That’s the future!

Film-making

Advanced filmmakers like Steven Spielberg, Felix and Paul, and Chris Milk, are already delving into the use of 360 cameras and VR and exploring their potential for cinematic movie-making. With the 360º cameras, completely new immersive cinematic experiences are achievable. And since these cameras can create ultra wide-angle shots, its user’s can capture all actions without missing a scene. With this, filmmakers can now capture all actions to immerse their viewers in their creation.

Conclusion

No doubt, the advancement in the optical technology (such as the 360 cameras) is becoming revolutionary. The opportunities these cameras offer Architects, real estate agencies, journalists, event planners, travel companies, entrepreneurs, innovators, and the likes are staggering.

In this edition, we tried to answer the question “what are 360 cameras used for” by highlighting some fields or areas where this amazing technology is utilized and where it can be beneficial to you or your business. Even at that, it is important for all professions to explore and come up with new innovative ways on how this flourishing technology can be more beneficial to their business. If you have some thoughts that you’d love to share, or figured out some innovative ways to use the 360 cameras, kindly share them with us in the comment section below.

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